Do you want search ?

Follow Me

First Look: 5411 Empanadas, Authentic Argentina

5411 Empanadas – 811 Louisiana is named after the international dialing code for Buenos Aires, Argentina. 5411 Empanadas started in 2009, when the three founders decided they wanted to bring a piece of their country to Chicago. It started small, very small, but a good product and word-of-mouth made our little dream grow from just deliveries to one of the most successful food trucks in the country.

In 2012, 5411 opened their first permanent location in Clark St. Their most recent restaurant opening in Houston a mere 3 months ago, and are serving some of the most delicious empanadas in downtown Houston.

Owner, Nicolas and Gristle & Gossip

Are you looking for a quick and easy lunch option in the heart of Downtown Houston? Sick of long waits, hefty tabs and limited parking options? 5411 Empanadas is a fast, convenient and delicious options if your looking for lunch in downtown Houston.

Located at 811 Lousiana street, you can find 5411 Empanadas in the tunnel. Downtown’s “underground” is a system of tunnels 20 feet below Houston’s downtown streets and more than 6 miles long. Having started out years ago as a tunnel between two downtown movie theaters, today it includes restaurants and service retail and connects 95 city blocks.

Not familiar with downtown’s underground system of tunnels? Read all about it here.

THE MENU

Photo Courtesy: 5411 Empanadas

An empanada is a stuffed bread or pastry baked or fried in many countries in Spain and Latin America. The name comes from the Spanish verb “empanar”, meaning to wrap or coat in bread.

5411 Empanadas offers 15 varieties of moderately priced*, individually wrapped, sweet and (mostly) savory options. Four of which are served during their breakfast hours. What I really like about the spot (besides super sweet owner Nicolas), is the way the menu outlines the various 15 flavors based on the empanada’s shape.

Over the course of 1 hour, I tried 11 empanadas served fresh out the oven, topped with their house-made chimichurri or red hot sauce. 5411 Empanadas has a little something for everyone, offering vegetarian options that are quite delectable.

Nutella & Banana

Malbec Beef topped with chimichurri Sauce

Bacon, Dates & Goat Cheese

Ratatouille Empanada

Caramelized Onion with Chimichurri Sauce

Beef Empanada

I highly recommend you try their fan favorites. They are denoted with the thumbs up on the menu. The Bacon, Date & Goat Cheese was hands down my favorite, with the Banana and Nutella mashup coming in second.

THE SPACE

Houston’s 5411 Empanadas was made to target and serve a very specific demographic, “downtown employees.” It’s a very small shop with 5 bench stools facing the commotion coming from the tunnel’s lunch rush. Though a great place to people watch, it’s truly made for pickup counter service.

Silver lining: the bulk of the traffic is from tunnel walkers who aren’t taking up any seats because they have to get back to work. So slide in there and stake your claim.

THE PARKING

If you’r reading this from the comforts of the desk of your downtown office, I suggest you walk. If you are driving from another location, street parking is your only option. Due to the expedient service, I only put two dollars in the meter for 1 hr. Worked perfectly.